Customs Strengthening One-Stop-Shop Approach to Prevent Cargo Stoppages, Says ACG Babandede

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is reinforcing its one-stop-shop clearance system to eliminate unnecessary stoppages of goods after formal release, aiming to boost trade facilitation and revenue collection.

During an interaction with the MARAN editorial team, Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, Zonal Coordinator for Zone A, explained that once a consignment has been properly examined and released, it should not be subjected to further intervention.

“Any intelligence or information requiring further action should be acted upon before the cargo is released,” Babandede stressed, noting that the reform is designed to cut delays and enhance predictability for legitimate traders.

He noted that Customs was increasingly prioritising compliant traders and consignments, with properly documented cargo capable of completing the clearance process and leaving Customs control within 48 hours.

Babandede said the zone was relying on ongoing reforms, automation and technology-driven processes to improve revenue collection while simultaneously making legitimate trade faster and more predictable.

He further stressed that the zone remains committed to delivering a substantial portion of the Federal Government’s revenue target for the year.

According to the Zonal Coordinator, the zone has set its sights on generating nearly N8 trillion in revenue in 2026, even as declining cargo volumes continue to pose a challenge to revenue collection across the nation’s major ports and border commands.

Zone A, which contributes about 80 per cent of the NCS’s totals revenue, comprises 16 commands, including the Apapa, Tin-Can Island, Lekki Deep Sea Port, PTML, Seme and Ogun commands.

He also disclosed that the NCS was working towards achieving fully paperless operations by the end of 2026, with key stages of the cargo clearance process, including declaration, examination and release, increasingly moving to electronic platforms.

He said the deployment of technology would also extend to transit cargo, with electronic tracking systems being introduced to provide greater visibility over consignments moving through the supply chain.

Babandede, however, warned that the success of Customs’ trade facilitation efforts would depend largely on the willingness of importers and other stakeholders to comply with established procedures.

He urged importers to ensure that their declarations are accurate, complete and transparent, stressing that technological reforms alone cannot eliminate delays where traders provide inadequate or misleading information.

The Zone A boss maintained that Customs’ objective was to strike a balance between revenue mobilisation, trade facilitation and border control, particularly at a time when declining cargo volumes were putting additional pressure on government revenue expectations.